


Where is My Mind?

by ThatRavenclawBitch



Series: Where is My Mind [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Porn With Plot, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-01-19 15:09:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1474276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatRavenclawBitch/pseuds/ThatRavenclawBitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sweet little Belle French couldn't seduce the fearsome Mr. Gold, but she had a pretty good idea of someone who could.</p><p>Belle disguises herself as her sister Lacey in order to seduce Mr. Gold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One Hot Summer Night

If she was ever questioned on it, Belle would blame the heat.

Well, the heat and her stupid teenage hormones making her do silly, inappropriate things.

It was July in Storybrooke. Belle was home for the summer after her first year of college, and she’d spent the past several weeks working in Mr. Gold’s pawnshop in order to raise a little money before school started up again.

She’d also spent the past several weeks lusting after her boss.

It was ridiculous, really. She'd known Mr. Gold her whole life. He'd been their landlord as long as she could remember, stopping by her father's flower shop on a monthly basis to glower at Moe until he coughed up whatever he owed. Her father was a big man, well over 6 foot with broad shoulders and big callused hands. But when Mr. Gold came around, Belle could swear he shrunk to half his size, cowering under the glare of the much smaller man.

Her father hated him.

In all honesty, that fact probably contributed to her extremely inappropriate crush. Her father had been livid when she agreed to work for Gold. He'd insisted if she wanted a summer job that badly, she could always work at Game of Thorns. It took Belle pointing out that she would gladly work in the flower shop if her father wanted to match the nine dollars an hour Mr. Gold had promised that finally had him relenting.

In truth, no amount of money could have dragged her from that dusty shop. Belle was tired of being the good daughter. Her entire life she'd always done exactly what she was told. She'd done her homework, made good grades, never stayed out late. She'd been accepted to a good university, and she'd made straight A's her first year. She'd never put a single toe out of line, always following the rules and doing exactly as was expected of her.

She was the good twin, and she was fucking sick of it. Her sister, Lacey, had long been the wild child. She wore short skirts and stayed out until all hours. She drank whiskey, listened to loud music and had sex with inappropriate men she met at the Rabbit Hole. Lacey's life was a mess, and Belle envied her for it.

And so, while idly dusting the shop or filling out paperwork in the back office, she would often find herself thinking of ways she could act out. It was perhaps a little late for a teenage rebellion. She was already nineteen, in a few shorts months she wouldn't be a teenager anymore at all. Maybe that fact also contributed to her need for delinquency.

But it wasn't just the desire for rebellion that had her watching Mr. Gold from afar, appreciating the way his suit jacket strained against his shoulders as he bent over his work desk, his nimble fingers resetting diamonds in an antique necklace. Mr. Gold was fearsome, terrifying, he had the whole town shaking in their proverbial boots, but he always had a smile for Belle. She'd long since lost any fear she might have once had of the man. You couldn't fear a man who caught you in his arms when you clumsily fell off a step ladder, who merely shrugged when you damaged a priceless antique tea set, who noticed your love of books and gave you leather bound first editions free of charge.

No, if Belle only wanted to act out, she could choose any Tom, Dick or Harry in Storybrooke. She wanted Mr. Gold, because he was Mr. Gold. Because she dreamed of the way his hands would feel on her skin, because she wanted more than anything to know his first name so she could gasp it out at night when she buried her fingers between her thighs and thought of him. Belle French wanted Mr. Gold, but Belle French had no idea how to go about getting him. She was also fairly sure Mr. Gold had never given her a passing thought in that way. How could he? He was forty-something, wealthy, intelligent and world travelled. Belle was a silly nineteen-year-old virgin in a demure sundress who'd spent the majority of her freshman year of college studying alone in her dorm room and hadn't left New England since a plane flight brought her there from Australia when she was 9.

Belle French couldn't seduce the fearsome Mr. Gold, but she had a pretty good idea of someone who could.

That’s how she found herself standing in front of Lacey's mess of a closet on a Saturday night. Her twin had taken her fake id down to the Rabbit Hole to hustle pool, her father was at his weekly poker game, and Belle was left home alone. She pulled out a pair of her sister’s tiniest shorts and a low cut top with an open back. After a bit of deliberation, she grabbed a pair of Lacey’s highest heels as well. 

Making her way to the hall bathroom, she piled her chestnut curls up on her head, emptying half a can of hairspray to get the hairdo to stay. Smokey eyes and red lipstick completed her look. Standing back to gaze at her reflection in the mirror, Belle cocked a hip and bit her lip in her best impression of Lacey. It was an act she'd perfected over the years. She and her sister had switched places frequently throughout their childhoods. By high school, she could do a convincing enough job of it to fool her father when Lacey spent the night out. He never wondered where Belle was in those moments, knowing she'd never be up to any trouble.

They had the same Australian accent, but Lacey's was slightly lower pitched, huskier. She tried out her twin's voice in the mirror.

"Well, hello, Mr. Gold," Lacey said to her from the bathroom mirror.

Belle grinned at the convincing illusion. She didn't even feel self-conscious about the amount of leg and cleavage she had on display. Tonight, she was Lacey, and Lacey always got what she wanted.

She only needed one more thing to complete her Lacey transition. Carrying the obscenely high heels in one hand, she sprinted down the stairs to the empty flower shop. Finding her way back to her father's small office, she reached under his desk to find the hidden key he had stashed there. She unlocked the bottom drawer of the desk and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels.

She and Lacey had found their father's secret stash when they were twelve. Moe had been making late deliveries the night before Valentine's Day and had left the girls alone. Egged on by her sister, Belle and Lacey had sat on the floor of the office passing a bottle back and forth between them. They'd both found it disgusting, but the illicitness of the act had made it worth their while. By the time their father arrived home, the drawer was safely locked once more and both girls had found their way to bed. Belle can still remember the headache she'd had the next day.

Lacey had eventually developed a taste for the stuff, sneaking down frequently to swipe liquor from the cabinet. Belle had never really found the appeal. But tonight, she was Lacey, and Lacey drank hard liquor.

Taking a swig straight from the bottle, Belle tried not to grimace as it burned down the back of her throat. It warmed her belly and left her feeling slightly less nervous. She took another drink to calm her nerves, and then one more for good luck. Then she returned the bottle to the cabinet, slipped on her heels and made her way out into the warm Storybrooke night.

* * *

Belle was almost regretting the three shots of whiskey she'd taken by the time she reached Gold's Pawnshop. Her head felt a little dizzy and her stomach was churning in an uncomfortable way. Why had she thought she could do this? She was just a child playing dress up. A silly little virgin with a crush on an older man. Who was to say he'd want Lacey anymore than he'd want Belle?

She'd almost talked herself into turning around and going home when she saw movement in the shop. She knew Gold spent his Saturday nights staying late, reviewing contracts and catching up on paperwork. Belle thought he secretly liked sitting alone in his shop, like a dragon with his hoard of treasures. The shop was closed, so he didn't have to worry about customers or desperate souls looking to make a deal. When she'd inquired why he stayed late on a weekend, he told her it was when he got his best thinking done. That he'd pour a drink, put on a record, and be at peace.

Maybe she should leave him to that peace. Belle started to back away from the shop when she caught sight of her reflection in the window. The teased hair, the bold make-up, the revealing outfit. She looked like Lacey, and it was the confidence boost she needed. She didn't want to be a "good girl" anymore, and she wanted Mr. Gold to be the reason.

She pushed open the front door of the pawnshop, and Lacey sauntered in, the tinkling sound of bells giving away her presence.

"We're closed," she heard Mr. Gold call from the back of the shop.

Belle put on her best sultry Lacey face and strolled through the curtain, leaning casually against the door frame.

"I know," she said, Gold looking up from the papers spread out on his work bench at the sound of her voice. "I thought you might want some company."

Gold raised an eyebrow, his eyes sweeping over her form in a way that made her shiver. "And why would you think that, dearie?"

Belle shrugged as she walked further into the room, coming to a stop across the work bench from him and leaning her palms against the polished wood giving him a rather nice view of her cleavage. She didn't miss the way his eyes flicked down before coming back to her face. "Belle said she thinks you're lonely. Maybe I could change that."

The corner of his mouth quirked up. "Does Belle think about me often?"

Belle shrugged again. "You're a handsome man, Mr. Gold. A girl could get ideas spending all day, every day in close quarters with you."

Gold just stared at her for a moment, as if she were a puzzle he was trying to figure out. She felt as though he was deconstructing her. It was uncomfortable, and she had almost resolved to leave again when his mouth quirked up in a lopsided smile.

"What are you doing here, Miss French?"

Belle bent forward even more, leaning her elbows against the bench and resting her face in her hands. She was practically laying across his desk, her face mere inches from his.

"I already told you," she said, reaching across the bench to where a tumbler of scotch sat at his elbow and dragging it towards her. "I'm keeping you company on a hot Saturday night."

She took a sip from his glass, trying her hardest not to sputter at the burning liquid. Lacey would never choke on expensive scotch, and neither would she.

Gold was watching her with a slightly amused expression on his face. Well, at least he hadn't tried to throw her out yet. In all honesty, this was going a bit better than she anticipated.

"Would you like a drink, Miss French?" he asked finally.

Belle nodded her head, happy for the distraction. Gold stood up from his stool and strode over to the cabinet in the back of the office retrieving a bottle and a second glass. He poured her a measure of the amber liquid and then handed it to her with a smirk.

"I suppose this is contributing to the delinquency of a minor," he said, still keeping hold of the glass despite her hand wrapping around it. Her fingers brushed against his causing a shiver to run up her spine at the skin to skin contact. "I really should send you home to your father, Miss French."

Belle tugged gently on the glass until he released it, taking a quick sip. "My father's out gambling away what little money we have. I think a little underage drinking is the least of his worries."

Something like a storm cloud passed over Gold's eyes at her words, but a moment later it was gone.

"So, Miss French, what do you do on a Saturday night when you're not keeping lonely old men company?" he asked, leaning against the work bench next to her. He was close enough that the soft wool of his suit jacket brushed against her bare arm whenever he lifted his tumbler for a drink. The sensation made tiny goose bumps erupt on her flesh. 

"Didn't you know?" she asked him playfully. "I'm a girl scout, working on my seniors outreach merit badge."

He placed a hand against his chest in an expression of mock outrage. "You cut me to the quick. I'm not that old, Miss French."

Belle took another sip of her scotch and set the glass down on the work bench, turning to face him. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the fact that he thinks she's Lacey that made her bold, but she suddenly felt particularly daring. 

With a smile, she reached out and ran her hand down his lapel. 

"You said old, not me," she said, wrapping her hand around his lapel and pulling him slightly closer to her. "I happen to find experience to be sexy."

Usually he had several inches on her, despite his short stature. But in her outrageous heels they're almost eye level. Belle hadn't been this close to him since the day he caught her falling from the step ladder. Then, he'd held her against him for a few blessed moments before standing her up straight, dusting himself off and retreating. Now however, he makes no move to step away. She can feel the heat of his body, smell the spicy scent of his cologne. She's close enough that it would take almost no effort at all to lean forward and kiss him. Lacey would do it. 

She'd just about worked up the nerve when he spoke suddenly. 

"What's this really all about, Miss French?" he asked, leaning his cane against the work bench and settling one hand on the crook of her waist. The feeling of his hand on her body makes it infinitely harder to concentrate on their conversation. 

Belle shrugged for what felt like the twentieth time since this began. "It's a slow night. I thought you might be doing something interesting."

She suppressed a gasp when his other hand found her waist and pulled her ever closer to him.

"I'd very much like to do something interesting tonight," he said, and Belle can't help but wonder if he means _do_ her. Was this really happening? Had her Lacey seduction worked so quickly? A horrid thought bloomed in her mind unbidden. What if this wasn't the first situation he'd found himself in with Lacey? Her sister had never mentioned any liaisons with Mr. Gold, and she's positive that's the kind of thing Lacey would brag to her about. But Lacey's sexual history is wide and varied. Is it possible her sister just never told her?

Gold must have sensed her change in mood because he dropped one hand from her waist, moving to collect his cane. 

Belle was so close to having exactly what she wanted, and she was about to blow it. Before he could move away from her, she wrapped her right hand around his other lapel and tugged him forward, pressing her lips softly against his.

For one terrifying heartbeat, Belle was afraid she had completely misread the situation. But a moment later Gold had seized onto her hips and deepened the kiss, pulling her flush against him. 

Her hands slid up the hard planes of his chest to rest briefly on his shoulders before finding their way home to twine in his hair. She'd spent countless hours dreaming of running her fingers through his graying brown hair. It's even softer than it looked. Gold nipped at her bottom lip causing Belle to let out a rather embarrassing moan. But Gold just took the opportunity to plunder her mouth with his tongue, seeking out all the places that could make her weak kneed. 

Belle had a little experience with kissing. She'd dated Gary Aston for two years before dumping him right before senior prom. They had kissed pretty frequently despite Belle having no real feeling for him beyond mild affection, and never going beyond kissing much to Gary's chagrin. Since going to college she'd kissed two more boys. None of them could hold a candle to the way Gold was kissing her now. 

She never knew her whole body could feel electric, a tightness in her belly, an increased awareness of the heat between her legs, just from kissing.

She never wanted to kiss anyone else ever again. Belle was pretty sure she could come apart just from the way Gold's tongue was tracing the roof of her mouth. 

He pulled away after a moment, leaving both of them gasping for breath. She looked up at him to see Lacey's red lipstick smeared against his lips. It was quite possibly the most erotic thing she'd ever seen in her short life. 

"Are you alright?" he asked, pushing a rogue curl that had slipped out of her bun behind her ear.

Belle could do little more than nod, feeling like all the breath had been sucked from her by one fantastic kiss. 

"Good," he replied, before pulling her close and kissing her once again. One of his hands snaked around her waist, holding her to him while the other plunged into her hair, pulling at the bobby pins keeping it up. A few moments later, her curls were free about her shoulders as Gold ran his hand through them. She vaguely wished she hadn't used as much hairspray, anticipating the rats nest her hair would soon resemble. 

He broke the kiss once more turning her quickly so she faced the work bench and pressing in close behind her. Pushing her hair out of the way, he trailed fiery kisses down her throat, continuing down her exposed back. He kissed and licked along the line of her spine until Belle was positively shaking, her fingers digging into the wood of the work bench as she clung to it for dear life. 

Making his way back up to her neck, he gently bit into the soft skin where her neck and shoulder met, laving over the bite mark with his tongue. Belle let out a throaty little moan at that, causing Gold's hips to cant forward against her backside. She could feel the hard length of him against her back, and suddenly this was all so real. She felt a flicker of something like pride at being the cause of his erection. He wanted her, really and truly. Even if he thought she was Lacey, it was still her body giving him pleasure. She was here, in the pawnshop being ravished by Mr. Gold. It was every one of her fantasies come to life. 

His hand which had been splayed against her flat stomach, began to move lower. When he reached the button on her shorts, he paused, kissing the shell of her ear. 

"Is this what you want?" he asked, raggedly. 

Belle only had to think for half a second before she was nodding vigorously. "Yes -- please." 

He kissed her temple, "Tell me if you want me to stop." 

And then he was undoing the button and fly on Lacey's tiny denim shorts before plunging his hand down the front of her knickers. 

He parted her folds with his fingers, dipping one inside her and spreading the moisture he found there to her outer lips. 

"God, you're so wet, sweetheart," he moaned against her hair. 

His fingers traced her sex, teasing her but not giving her any friction where she desperately needed relief. Her hips moved of their own volition, grinding against his hand trying to force him to touch her where she wanted him most. By the time he relented, Belle was panting with desire, her body trembling with want. He stroked his thumb against her clit sending shockwaves throughout her whole body. She arched her back, pressing her bottom against his erection, and he bit down on her shoulder to stifle his own groan. A few flicks of his thumb combined with the feeling of his fingers stroking in and out of her had her coming apart in mere minutes. 

Belle bit her lip trying to stifle the sound of her orgasm. Gold brought a hand to her mouth, pulling her lip from where it was clenched between her teeth. 

"There's no need for that," he whispered against her ear. "I want to hear you when you come, darling."

The sound of his voice, his accent even thicker than usual almost had her coming again. 

He continued to stroke her as she came down from her high, planting gentle kisses against the side of her face. Then he was spinning her around to face him again, capturing her lips and massaging her tongue with his. Belle thought if this ended right now and she never saw Gold again, she would still die a happy woman. This exceeded any fantasy she'd ever had, the memory would keep her warm at night for years to come. 

But he didn't seem to be done with her just yet. With surprising strength, Gold seized her by the backs of her thighs and lifted her on to the work bench. Belle let out a surprised squeal at his sudden action and he chuckled against her neck. He stood between her legs, wrapping his arms around her waist as he kissed her neck, trailing lower across her collar bone.

Belle never knew her collar bone could be an erogenous zone, but the way Gold was licking and nipping at her skin had her pressing her body against him, seeking relief again already.

A moment later he stepped back and Belle let out a whimper at the loss of contact. His eyes were dark, almost black, as they fell from her face down to her chest. He fingered the hem of her shirt, a question in his hooded eyes.

Before she could rethink things, Belle had seized the bottom of her top and pulled it over her head, casting it to the ground at their feet.

She felt, rather than heard, Gold's sharp intake of breath at the sight of her half naked. She was wearing a lacy blue bra, nicked from her sister, that increased her meager breasts an entire cup size. She rather thought Gold would be disappointed if he took it off.

One of his hands came up to cup her breast almost hesitantly, massaging her flesh through the fabric of her bra. A second later, his lips had returned to neck, trailing down across her chest and nipping at the rounded tops of her breasts. Belle was so lost in the sensation that she didn't even realize he'd unhooked her bra until he pulled back to slide it down her arms.

She fought the impulse to cover her chest with her arms, knowing Lacey would have no such reservations about baring herself for a man. But she wasn't Lacey. She was Belle, and the words slipped out before she could stop them.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I know it's not much."

Gold was looking at her as if she were insane.

"You're perfect, sweetheart," he said, kissing her lightly. "Absolutely breathtaking."

Belle couldn't help but smile at his compliment. She'd often been told in her life that she was beautiful, that her name suited her. But tonight, she felt beautiful.

Then his head dipped to take her nipple into his mouth and all conscious thought flitted out of Belle's head. He gently suckled her, his hand coming up to mimic his mouth at her other breast, and Belle plunged her fingers into his hair, holding him to her. He worshipped her breasts until she was crying out, shunting her hips against him in an effort to gain friction at her core. When he finally drew back from her, she was panting, sprawled out on Gold's work bench half naked like a wanton. She'd never felt so alive.

She also realized Mr. Gold was still impeccably dressed, despite the lipstick smears and mussed hair. She reached out, pulling at his tie impatiently until he helped her loosen it and pull it over his head. Next she attacked the buttons of his waist coat, pushing it and his jacket from his shoulders where they landed on the ground with a heavy thump. Mr. Gold was still dressed in his trousers and shirt sleeves, but she felt like she was seeing a private part of him. She'd never seen him without a tie before. It felt intimate, like he was shedding his armor just for her.

Before she could get more than half of his shirt buttons undone, he pulled back, hands on the waist band of her shorts. Understanding that he wanted them off, she lifted her hips so he could slide them down her legs, followed by the tiny scrap of fabric she called underwear.

And just like that she was completely naked in front of a man for the first time. She could feel goose flesh rising on her arms at the way Mr. Gold was looking at her, as though he wanted to devour her whole. For the first time since this had started, she wondered if she had perhaps bitten off more than she could chew. She was a virgin, but he didn't know that. Would he be too rough with her? But she couldn't come clean now. He'd know she wasn't Lacey, and she'd never be able to face him again. 

Movement interrupted her thoughts as Gold pulled his stool over and sat down between her legs. For a moment she had no idea what he was doing, but then he ran his hands up over her thighs, kissing her knee gently and slowly working his way up, and it all became clear.

She'd heard about this, of course. Lacey had informed her it was the best thing in the world, but that men didn't really like to do it. With that information in mind, she reached a hand forward to stop him.

"You don't have to do that," she said.

His eyes found hers and she gasped at the intensity she saw burning from his chocolate brown eyes.

"Oh, I want to," he said, spreading her legs further and nipping gently and the skin of her inner thigh.

Belle didn't protest again, but her legs began to shake as he drew ever closer to her core. It was maddening. He was taking his sweet time running his tongue along her thigh, nipping at the place where her leg met her hip, neatly circumventing where she wanted him to be and planting kisses along her lower belly.

She let out an involuntary whimper and shunted her hips forward.

Gold chuckled softly. "Impatient, sweetheart?" he asked. "Very well."

And then his tongue was on her. There. And she'd never felt anything so amazing in her entire life.

She let out a moan, falling back against the bench as he pulled her closer to him, placing her legs up over his shoulders. He continued licking and kissing her until she was so tense she was vibrating beneath him. She cried out when he plunged two fingers inside her, sucking her clit into his mouth and laving his tongue over it. Her back arched off the desk and she felt for sure she was going to spontaneously combust at any moment. No person could withstand this much pleasure. She was sure to supernova, shatter into a million tiny pieces. Then his fingers crooked inside her, touching someplace earth shattering. The pressure of his mouth against her clit, his fingers moving within her, was all too much and she came hard, stars bursting behind her eyelids, her inner muscles clenching hard around his fingers as she called out prayers and curses and babbling nonsense.

He continued planting kisses on her oversensitive flesh as she spiraled down from her high, her panting breaths returning to normal. When he finally pulled away, she grabbed him by the shirt collar, pulling him up to kiss her and groaning when she tasted herself on his lips.

"Was that alright then?" he asked smugly, and she would have slapped him if she hadn't been so satisfied. As it was she could do little more than nod.

"Good," she panted out. "Amazing."

"I'm glad," he returned, as he lifted her up off the bench and placed her back on the ground on wobbling legs.

She felt sluggish, her limbs heavy, and she kicked off Lacey's heels and slumped against his chest. He wrapped her up in his arms, kissing the top of her head. It was then that her mind caught up with her and she realized he was still unsatisfied. With a burst of daring, wanting to return the pleasure he had so recently given her, she reached down and cupped him through the fabric of his trousers. He hissed through his teeth and bucked his hips against her hand. He was extremely hard, the heat of him seeping through his pants and surprising her.

He half carried her the few steps to the little cot he kept in the back of the shop and sat her down on it. Then he was pulling at the buttons of his shirt as she reached out and undid his belt. Soon he was down to just his boxers, and Belle drank in the sight like a woman dying of thirst. He was lean, but muscular, his skin several shades darker than her own. She realized with a thrill he was exactly the right size to fit against her. Then he pulled down his boxers and she realized this was never going to work.

She knew, biologically, it was possible. But staring at his engorged length, she had no idea how it would ever fit within her body.

But Belle had always been curious, and this was a learning experience just like any other. Tentatively she reached out and touched him, running her fingers lightly up his shaft. Gold's eyes slammed shut and he suppressed a groan, so Belle grew a little bolder. She wrapped one hand around the base of him, stroking upward, enjoying the weight of him in her hand and the hot, silky feel of his skin.

She attempted to stroke him again, but his hand came up to grab hers, holding her still.

"I can't last -- if you do that," he said haltingly.

Belle smiled and attempted another experimental tug, interested to see what would happen.

He moved faster than any man with a  bum ankle had a right to, pinning her to the bed as he groaned out, "Minx!"

Belle giggled until he settled himself between her legs, his cock brushing against her core. Then her laugh turned to a needy little moan.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked her, his expression turning serious. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

He was giving her an out, and that alone made her want to give herself to him. When she had dated Gary he had frequently tried to guilt her into bed with him, feeling like she owed him some part of her body. But here, now, she had no doubt Mr. Gold would let her leave without a word.

Her nervousness was giving way to excitement. If he could make her feel that good with his mouth and fingers, what could his cock do?

She brushed the hair back from his face and nodded.

"I'm sure," she breathed. "I want this."

Gold groaned, kissing her hungrily. Then he pulled back. "Condom?" he asked.

Belle pointed to her shorts on the ground near them. "In my pocket."

He gave her a dirty little look before moving to grab the condom, tearing open the package and rolling it onto himself. Then he was back between her legs, lining them up before slowly pushing in to her.

Belle was ready for him, their foreplay more than preparing her, but she had to fight the urge to resist him. It was still an odd sensation, being stretched in ways she never had before. It didn't hurt, but there was an uncomfortable pressure for a moment before he was finally sheathed within her.

"Oh God," he moaned against her ear. "You're so fucking tight."

She'd never heard Mr. Gold curse before, and hearing the word from his lips gave her an extra little thrill.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" he asked, pushing a sweaty lock of hair back from her face. Belle just smiled and nodded at him, bringing her legs up to wrap around his waist.

Her movement caused him to sink even deeper into her and they both let out a moan. Then Gold was moving within her, setting a slow, gentle pace.

Belle wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close as he buried his face against her neck. She wasn't a virgin anymore, she'd finally done something unexpected. She'd seduced Mr. Gold, had his cock buried inside her. She was grinning like a madwoman.

Then his cock brushed against someplace magical and she was throwing her head back as he worked her back up to that peak.

His thrusts were growing harder and faster as they continued, his mouth meeting hers in a sloppy kiss. She was gripping on to his sweat slicked back, her body growing tense once more. Then, suddenly, she was breaking apart again, this time sharper and more intense. She bit down onto his shoulder, feeling herself tighten and clench around him.

He had lost all sense of rhythm, thrusting into her erratically. Then he tensed and stilled, finally slumping against her.

After a moment, he rolled off her, pulling her into his embrace and kissing her forehead. Belle felt warm and comfortable curled up against him and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When she awoke, she was alone with a blanket pulled up over her. She couldn't have been asleep long as it was still night behind the curtained shop windows. Sitting up, she saw Gold, barefoot and dressed only in his trousers, on the other side of the office heating a kettle on a hot plate.

"Tea?" he asked when he noticed she was awake.

Belle nodded with a sleepy smile. "I'd love some."

Her voice sounded rough and hoarse from the screaming and moaning she'd done. She sounded like Lacey, she thought with a smirk.

She wrapped the blanket around herself and walked over to Gold, coming up behind him and kissing his shoulder.

"What time is it?" she asked, leaning her head against his back.

"Around half past one," he answered, turning to hand her a cup of Earl Grey. "You were out for a few hours."

Belle accepted the tea cup with a smile. "You must have tuckered me out," she said with her best lascivious grin.

"I aim to please," he returned, picking up his own tea cup. Belle realized with a start that it was the chipped one, part of the antique set she had damaged her first week on the job. She'd thought he would fire her, but he'd merely shrugged it off and set her to another task not handling anything breakable. Why would he keep it, let alone use it?

"Your cup has a chip," she pointed out rather uselessly.

"Yes it does, Miss French," he replied with an enigmatic smile.

They drank their tea in relative silence, though it wasn't awkward so much as comfortable. When she'd finished her drink, she went to collect her clothes with a sigh. She needed to get home. Her father was probably back and Lacey would be home soon barring a bar hookup. If she wanted to return her sister's things without any questions, she'd have to leave now.

"It's late," she said. "I should be going."

"As you wish."

He picked up his cane and stalked forward into the main shop, leaving her to dress in private.

A moment later she joined him there, back in her Lacey armor. For a moment there, during their coupling, she'd forgotten she was supposed to be playing someone else. She'd felt like Gold was making love to her, Belle. But he wasn't. She couldn't let herself forget that.

"Well, I'll see you later, Mr. Gold," she said heading for the front door. She suddenly felt sad leaving him. The next time she saw him she'd be Belle again. It would be like none of this had ever happened.  

"I'll see you on Monday, Belle," he called after her.

Belle spun around so quickly, she almost toppled off her heels. Only Mr. Gold's steadying hand on her elbow kept her from falling over. Her stunned expression must have given her away because he continued.

"Did you honestly think I couldn't tell you apart from your sister, sweetheart?" He tucked an errant curl behind her ear before leaning forward, breath ghosting across the shell of her ear. "I'd know you anywhere," he whispered. "No matter how much makeup or how little clothing you wear, you'll always be _my_ sweet little Belle."

Belle felt like her face was burning. Half of her wanted to melt into the floor never to be seen again and the other half wanted to drag him back to the office and relieve the heat that was already pooling again between her thighs. She settled for leaning forward and pressing a hasty kiss to his lips before veritably running out the door of the shop as fast as her heels would carry her, leaving a bemused Mr. Gold in her wake.

Her whole walk home only one thought flooded her mind. He knew! Oh God, he knew!


	2. Sisterly Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle has a long chat with Lacey. Mr. Gold panics as per usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was only supposed to be a one shot, but I had so many comments asking for more that I caved! I'm playing around with maybe adding a part 3, but I haven't decided yet. Thank you so much for the frankly overwhelming feedback! Your kudos and comments absolutely keep me going. I'm so glad you enjoyed my smutty little story!

Lacey was unwinding. She was sprawled out on the living room sofa, glass of bourbon in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other watching late night music videos on the cable access channel.

It was a typical end to her evening, though the rest of her night had been anything but. She’d spent a little while down at the Rabbit Hole playing pool, but it hadn’t kept her interest for long. In truth, she was growing tired of her stale old routine. So instead of staying at the bar, knocking back drinks and looking for a friend for the evening, she’d taken a long walk.

For the most part, Lacey liked her life. There were certain drawbacks to be sure. Still living with her dad was a big one, but at least she didn’t have to pay rent. She liked her job, working at Storybrooke’s only record store. The pay was shit, but she supplemented her income with the idiots willing to go up against her at the pool table. She liked her friends. Ruby was always up for a good time. Ashley had become a bit of a wet blanket lately, but she still had her moments. All said it was a good life.

So why was she suddenly dissatisfied?

It probably all came down to Belle. Despite being as different as night and day, the twins had always been close, and without Belle, she was starting to feel a little lost.

Lacey was technically three minutes older, a fact she never allowed to escape Belle’s notice, but Belle had always taken the role of responsible big sister. She was the one to clean up Lacey’s messes, the shoulder to cry on when everything went to shit, the one to remind her to do things like floss, eat vegetables and take off her makeup before she went to sleep so it didn’t clog her pores. Ever since Belle went away to college, Lacey’s life had seemed hopelessly adrift.

To be honest, she envied her fearless yet responsible little sister. Lacey could never imagine being bold enough to leave Storybrooke behind.

She’d been ecstatic when her sister arrived home for the summer, but Belle had been distant so far. She worked long hours at the pawn shop, and when she was home she mostly kept to herself. Lacey was beginning to fear her sister had outgrown her. Belle was always the smart one. Maybe she’d finally tired of her idiot twin always dragging her down.

Lacey pushed that thought from her mind. Belle was her sister, her identical twin, her best friend from the womb. They shared a bond nothing could ever break. Still, it was unusual for Belle to be out this late, and it needled at Lacey’s mind that she had no idea what her sister was up to anymore.

As if on cue, the front door of the apartment tentatively pushed open and Belle tiptoed in. The first thing Lacey noticed was that Belle had apparently raided her closet for the evening. She was pretty sure that was her shirt.

“Why are you dressed like me?” she called from her perch on the sofa. “Were we doing a switcheroo thing tonight?”

Her sister jumped, turning around with wide eyes. Her makeup was smudged, mascara streaks down her face as if she’d been crying.

“Shit, Bells, you’ve got sex hair. What’ve you been doing?” she asked with a snort.

When Belle’s eyes grew even larger, Lacey had to stifle a gasp.

“No way! Baby sister!”

Belle looked lost for a moment, then seemed to crumble onto the couch next to her, kicking off her heels and drawing her knees up against her chest.

“I did something stupid.”

“So it would seem,” Lacey replied, trying not to sound too excited. She’d been waiting for this moment since they were sixteen and Lacey had lost her virginity to Jim Fredericks. Belle had stayed up all night with her going over every meticulous detail of the five-minute encounter. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Belle shook her head, and Lacey had to squash down her disappointment. Her sister seemed genuinely upset.

She pulled Belle towards her and let her sister rest her head on her shoulder. It was a reversal of their usual roles. If Lacey had a dollar for every time Belle had comforted her in a similar situation, well, she’d have enough money to move out and get her own apartment, that’s for sure.

“Mr. Gold,” Belle said after a long moment of silence.

“What about him?” Lacey asked, sipping on her bourbon.

“I had sex with Mr. Gold.”

Lacey spat her drink across the living room.

“What the fuck?” She yelled, shaking bourbon off her t-shirt. Belle had jumped up to grab paper towels. “You fucked Mr. Gold?”

“Hush!” Belle admonished her in a loud whisper, running back into the living room and cleaning up Lacey’s spilled liquor. “Keep your voice down! The last thing I need is dad finding out.”

Lacey just waved her off. “He was pretty loaded when he got home. I doubt we could wake him if we tried.”

She sat back against the couch raising an appraising eyebrow at her twin. “Wow, Bells. When you do something, you don’t do it by halves, do you?”

Belle just shook her head and looked miserable.

“I mean, Mr. Gold. That’s some seriously insane shit,” Lacey continued. “He always seemed so, I don’t know, mean.”

“He’s never been mean to me,” Belle answered glumly.

They sat in silence for a moment, absorbing the night’s events.

Lacey couldn’t imagine the stoic Mr. Gold doing something as mundane and _normal_ as having sex any more than she could imagine him eating or sleeping. He always seemed like he was above such base urges, merely living off the smell of money and the tortured souls he devoured through his deals. It was actually kind of reassuring that even a man that sinister could be swayed by some cleavage and a pair of stilettos.

Now that she thought about it, she supposed Mr. Gold was kind of sexy in his own way. He always dressed impeccably and he radiated an aura of power that could certainly be intoxicating. Maybe her sister had the right way of it.

“Well?” Lacey prompted, coming back to herself. “How was it?”

The ghost of a smile flitted across her sister’s face. “It was amazing. Seriously, Lace, the things that man did with his tongue. I never knew anything could feel like that.”

“Seriously?” Lacey could hardly contain her shock. “Who knew Old Goldie had it in him?”

Belle rolled her eyes. “He’s not old.”

Lacey just shrugged. “So what kind of heat is he packing in those expensive trousers? The way he swaggers around town he’s got to have a big cock.”

“I am not going to answer that!” her sister said, blushing bright red.

“Oh come on, Belle! I described Jim Frederick’s knob in detail after my first time.”

“I didn’t ask for a description of Jim Frederick’s knob, Lace,” Belle cried, looking more and more scandalized. “In fact, it made it super awkward to hold a conversation with him afterwards.”

They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. Lacey was glad Belle seemed to be feeling better. This was the closeness she had missed since her twin had returned from school. It was nice to know she could still get her to laugh, even after she’d made the colossal mistake of losing her virginity to her middle aged boss.

“So was this planned? Is that the point of the outfit?” she asked gesturing at Belle’s clothes.

Her sister blushed and Lacey suddenly put two and two together.

“Oh my God, you didn’t!” she exclaimed. “Does Mr. Gold think he fucked me?”

“No!” Belle quickly replied.

“But that was your plan, wasn’t it? What did you think you’d seduce him by pretending to be me?”

Belle sighed. “More or less. It didn’t work though. He knew it was me the whole time, though he didn’t let me know until I was halfway out the door.”

Lacey sat there gaping at her sister for a moment. Then she hauled off and punched her in the shoulder.

“Ouch!” Belle exclaimed.

“What the hell were you thinking?” she asked. “Were you going to let me know after the fact so I could at least be prepared for Gold leering at me in the streets?”

“He doesn’t leer,” Belle said defensively.

Lacey rolled her eyes. “Why, Belle?” she asked. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

If it was possible, her sister looked even more miserable.

“Because I like him, okay?” she said after a moment. “I like him a lot, and I wanted him to be my first. I didn’t know how to go about getting him, but you always seem to get what you want so I thought I’d try out being you for a night.”

Lacey just shook her head. “Belle, I barely know the guy. You see him every day. Of the two of us, I’m sure he’d be more interested in you.”

“That’s exactly it, though,” Belle said with a shrug. “I see him every day. He knows me as this bookish little virgin and there was no way he’d ever want me like that. I thought if I had your confidence maybe I’d have your bravery.”

Lacey arched an eyebrow at her. “Honey, I am far from brave. I’m reckless, and I’m pretty stupid but I’m not brave. You’ve always been the brave one. Besides, you said he knew it was you the whole time. It seems he did want you after all.”

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say as Belle threw her head back against the couch and let out an anguished sound.

“What?” Lacey asked.

“I have to go to work on Monday,” Belle said. “How am I supposed to face him? Should I just quit?”

Lacey smirked. If there was one thing she knew, it was how to face a man after a one-night stand.

“Belle, he’s seen you naked,” she said, placing a hand on her sister’s arm. “He knows the face you make when you come. This is true.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” her twin asked through teary eyes.

“Don’t you realize, Bells?” she asked. “You hold all the power. Mr. Gold has seen you naked, and I guarantee it’s all he’s going to think about from now on when you’re in the same room.”

“I feel sick,” Belle said, moving to stand up. Lacey grabbed her hand before she could leave.

“He’s a man. Men are easy. Just own it. He fucked you, and he’s going to want to do it again. You hold the power. Because you’re the only one who knows if he’s ever going to get to do it again.”

“I don’t want power,” Belle said miserably. “I want him.”

That’s when it hit her. Her sister wasn’t upset because she regretted having sex with her boss. She was upset because she was in love with him, and now she’d have to face it.

Belle plopped back down on the sofa next to her.

“As attracted as I am to him, that’s not really where my interest lies,” she said. “He makes me laugh, Lacey. He’s so smart and interesting. He’s the most complex person I’ve ever met. The beauty of my plan was that I’d get to experience just once what it was like to be the woman in his bed, but I could still uphold the status quo of our relationship.”

Lacey wrapped her arm around her sister, “I guess that didn’t really work out.”

“No,” Belle agreed. “I’m sorry I tried to steal your identity.”

“It’s okay,” Lacey chuckled. “It honestly sounds like something I’d do. I’m sorry I punched you.”

“I deserved it,” came Belle’s muffled reply as she buried her face in Lacey’s shoulder.

“So what are you going to do on Monday?”

Belle sat up, wiping her teary eyes against the back of her hand.

“I have to face him,” she said resolutely. “I have to do the brave thing. Hopefully we can just move past this and go back to how things were.”

“Is that what you really want?” Lacey asked, scrunching up her nose. From what she could tell, her baby sister was hopelessly in love with the pawnbroker. She couldn’t imagine her just burying her feelings for the rest of the summer.

“Not really,” Belle admitted. “But what other option do I have? Do you honestly think Mr. Gold wants to date his teenage shop assistant? Even if he did, I have to go back to Boston in a few weeks. This relationship doesn’t really have legs.”

Lacey stood up and strode into the kitchen without a word. She returned a moment later with the bottle of bourbon and another glass. She poured Belle a healthy measure and the pressed it into her sisters hands.

“I know I’m no expert,” she said, blue eyes finding blue. “But if you want my advice I say fuck it. You’ve got a month left in town? Make it a damn good month.”

Belle’s eyes widened in shock.

“You honestly think I should pursue this? Even though it’s Gold?”

Lacey shrugged. “I think he’s an evil bastard, but obviously you see something in him that I don’t. I trust your judgment, Bells.”

Belle placed her half empty glass on the coffee table before leaning forward to wrap Lacey up in a tight hug.

“I’m sorry I left you behind,” she murmured into her hair. “I love you.”

Lacey patted Belle’s back amazed that her sister knew exactly what had been bothering her without Lacey ever uttering a word.

“I love you too.”

After a moment, Lacey pulled back and looked her sister in the eyes.

“Now listen closely, because I’m going to tell you _exactly_ what to do on Monday morning.”

* * *

It was 9:15 on a Monday morning, and Belle French was nowhere to be seen.

Gold paced around the back of his shop, more agitated than he could ever remember being. He didn’t have the faintest idea what had possessed Belle to show up to his shop on Saturday night, smelling like whiskey and painted up like her sister. But it was obvious that she regretted the impulse now.

Belle had always been a model employee, arriving promptly at 8:00 in the morning to sweep up and make him a cup of tea before the shop opened at 9:00. She’d never been so much as five minutes late, yet the shop had been open for going on twenty minutes and she still hadn’t shown her pretty face.

He should have expected this of course. No woman in her right mind could ever want him, especially one as young and beautiful as Belle.

He’d spent all day Sunday locked in his house quietly having a mental breakdown. He’d picked up the phone and almost dialed her number a hundred times. He’d even had the bat shit crazy notion to stop by her house, though he couldn’t come up with a believable reason for popping by. The rent wasn’t due for another two weeks, and God knows he’d never set foot in Moe French’s domain for anything else.

Any way he tried to look at it, he’d thoroughly fucked up. He didn’t know why he hadn’t stopped Belle the moment he realized she wasn’t Lacey. Some sick part of him wanted to see how far she’d carry the ruse. Well, he had his answer. Pretty goddamn far.

He’d seen through Belle’s disguise quickly. When she first sauntered back into his office, he’d assumed Lacey was drunk and had stumbled in by accident. He’d planned to enjoy the view for a moment - she did look exactly like Belle after all - before sending her on her way. He may have even offered her a ride home if she seemed too bad off.

But there was something ever so slightly off about her. Anyone who had spent less time observing Belle French would never have noticed, but he’d made a habit of observing Belle French. There was a slight tremor to her voice, a spark of uncertainty in her eyes, that didn’t quite match up with Lacey’s brash demeanor. And despite the slight smell of whiskey on her breath, she most assuredly was not drunk.

Then she’d gone and nearly choked on his scotch and he’d been certain. He was dealing with Belle, not Lacey.

He should have told her then and there, but he hadn’t. Then things escalated and he’d been afraid to. So he ended up fucking her in his shop. If nothing else, that would have tipped him off to her true identity. He wasn’t so out of practice that he couldn’t tell a virgin when he had one. Belle’s first time should have been with someone she loved. She should have had candlelight and flowers and some prince charming to sweep her off her feet. Instead he’d given her half a glass of scotch and a fumble in his office.

He was a monster.

Maybe he should have let her just leave without revealing he knew. Then she could have shown up on Monday morning back in her sundress and braid and they could pretend nothing had ever happened. That must have been her plan in the first place, to test the waters with him safely and still have a job at the end of it. He could admire her nerve, though he didn’t understand why she’d ever have wanted him in the first place.

If anything, she was probably just looking for a new experience. Belle was nothing if not curious. He could picture innocent little Belle questioning what the big deal was about sex and determining to find out. He just so happened to be the closest and easiest target. At least she had seemed to enjoy herself. He should have just let her go, let her think he’d bought the deception.

But he’d wanted her to know that he knew, that she hadn’t pulled one over on him. Bastard that he was, he always had to win. Even when it wasn’t in his best interest.

It was a small town. Even if she never showed up for work again, and he wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t, he was bound to run into her at some point. When that inevitable day came he’d have to say something to her. But what?

In truth he’d wanted her for longer than he cared to think about. From the first week she’d come to work for him, when she all but destroyed that antique tea set and he hadn’t felt the least bit angry, he’d known he was in trouble. She was beautiful, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. There was so much more to her than that. She was sweet and kind. She made him feel human for the first time in decades. She laughed at his quips and could return his banter with ease, the only person in town who could manage to keep up with him other than the Mayor. If he allowed himself to think on it, he could imagine spending time with her outside the shop, of taking her to dinner and discussing books over a bottle of wine. Then he’d remember she wasn’t even old enough to drink and his pretty fantasy would come crashing down around him.

She was just so _young_. He told himself that if she were even just a few years older, he would have done it. He would have asked her out on a date, courted her properly out in the daylight, the town’s censure be damned. But he knew himself too well to even begin to believe that lie. His heart was a dried up dusty old thing. He’d been through enough hurt in his life to know that it wasn’t something anyone wanted.  

It would be in both of their best interest if they just acknowledged what had happened for what it was, an indiscretion. One that was best left where it had began, under cover of darkness and haze of alcohol. Then maybe they could go back to how things had been before and he could enjoy her smiles and light from a comfortable distance.

The bell on the front door rang out disrupting his thoughts. The last thing he felt like dealing with right now was a customer, and he almost pitied the person who dared to invade his den of self-loathing this morning. He stalked into the front of the shop prepared to give the tongue lashing of a lifetime, when he came up short.

Belle was standing just inside the doorway, glancing around as though looking for a place she could reasonably hide. Her long chestnut curls hung loose around her shoulders, her shapely pale legs peeking out from under her polka dotted sundress, and every word he’d planned to say to her went flitting right out of his head.

“Hey,” he said dumbly.

“Hi,” she replied, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling in the morning sunlight that streamed through his shop windows.

They stood there for a moment, the silence dragging out to awkward lengths. Gold was trying to remember how to form words when Belle finally broke the tension.

“Mr. Gold, I –”

“John,” he interrupted her without really meaning to. “That’s my first name.”

Her brow creased adorably, “Really? That’s it?”

“Yes,” he replied confusedly. “Is there something wrong with it?”

Belle shook her head. “No. It’s just so ordinary. The way you guard the knowledge I expected it to be something really embarrassing.”

Gold shrugged, hand clenching around the handle of his cane.

“Names have power,” he said. “I find that keeping it from people unbalances them. It – insulates me.”

“Insulates you from what?” she asked, stepping toward him tentatively.

“Anyone getting too close,” he said uncertainly. This definitely wasn’t how he imagined this conversation going. He was letting _her_ in too close. Every cell in his body protested it. He was years out of practice of having anyone in his life, yet here he was spilling his secrets to a woman little more than a child.

“But you told me,” she said, taking another step toward him. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I suppose you earned it.”

She stepped back at that, looking up at him as though he’d slapped her. He cursed himself for his choice of words. He hadn’t meant it like that. But she was a nineteen-year-old girl who’d only two days ago given up her virginity to him in this very shop. How could she take it any other way?

“I’m not a whore,” she said, her words stinging him.

“I don’t think you are.”

“Lacey isn’t either,” she continued. “It was unfair of me to do that to her.”

“Why did you?” he asked, finally broaching the question that had bugged him for days. “Why did you think you had to be someone else with me?”

Belle’s entire body seemed to deflate, like the weight of the world was suddenly on her shoulders. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms, but he needed an answer to his question.

“It seems so stupid now,” she started. “There was no one overwhelming reason, just a lot of little things.”

“Like?” he prompted her.

Belle leaned back against one of the display cases, keeping her eyes trained on her sandals.

“You’re the only person in this town who ever seemed to really _get_ me,” she said. “I like you, and I wanted to experience something, do something unexpected for once in my life. In order to do that I had to get out of my own head for a bit.”

Gold nodded. It was as he feared. She was acting out, and he just happened to be the lucky bastard who fell into her crosshairs. He knew he had no right to feel disappointment. Belle had given him a remarkable gift, a night he would treasure for the rest of his miserable life. But as much as he’d like to deny it, it stung him to hear her say the words out loud. He was simply a means to an end.

“But that’s not all,” she continued, and his hopeful heart leapt in his chest. “I didn’t want just anyone, I wanted you. But I didn’t see how you could ever want me. I thought Lacey might have a better chance.”

Relief washed over him like crashing waves. He felt like singing. Belle wanted _him_. How? Why?

“Nothing against your sister, sweetheart,” he said, closing the distance between them until she was only an arms length away. “But she’s not the one I want.”

Belle looked up at him, her large blue eyes breathtaking in their beauty.

“You want me?”

“How could I not? I knew it was you all along, Belle.” Feeling bolder, he reached out and tucked a curl behind her ear. “I’d have sent anyone else, including your sister, on their merry way without a thought. But you were just too much temptation.”

Belle shivered under his fingertips, biting her lip deliciously. His mind was flooded with memories from Saturday night and he nearly had to cross his legs or risk embarrassing himself.

“From the moment you set foot in my shop I’ve desired you, my little Belle. And I’ve hated myself for it.”

“Why?” she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Because I’m no good for you, darling. I can offer you nothing but darkness.”

Belle’s small hand came up to grab his as he started to pull away and he froze, the skin-to-skin contact overwhelming him for a moment.

“You can’t just tell me you’re no good for me,” she said, raising her chin to look him straight in the eye. “I can make decisions for myself.”

And she could, couldn’t she? She was a grown woman, fierce and independent and strong. Who was he to tell her what she could handle. If she truly wanted him, and it seemed, against all logic, that she did, who was he to make the decision for them?

“Look, I don’t know what this is between us,” she continued. “But I’d like to figure it out. Because I care about you, and it seems you care about me too.”

That’s an understatement if he’s ever heard one. He damn near loves her, though he’s never allowed himself to think the word. She’s utter perfection, beautiful and intelligent with an inner light so bright he thinks it could banish even his darkness if he’d only let it in.

He had no words left, nothing he could say to her to express how he feels without making an utter fool of himself, so he acts instead. Tightening his hold on her hand, he pulled her against his chest, their mouths crashing together. By some miracle she kissed him back, opening her mouth to him, allowing their tongues to tangle and dance. She’s even sweeter than she was Saturday night. There’s no alcohol on her breath to mask the raw taste of her, more intoxicating than any liquor known to man.

He pulled away a moment later, gasping for breath.

“Lock the door?” she panted.

With a nod, Gold agreed, darting forward as fast as he could to turn the lock and flip the shop sign to closed. Then he grabbed her hand again and pulled her back into his office.

As soon as the curtain fell back into place, separating them from the front of the shop, Belle’s lips were on his, her inexperienced fingers going to the buttons of his waistcoat. She released his lips, moving across his jaw to suck on the skin of his neck while her hot little hands pulled his shirt from his trousers, slipping under his clothing to press against his chest.

He wasn’t sure when Belle started leading on this little dance, but he wasn’t going to complain. It was only when her hand moved down to cup him through his trousers that he came to his senses.

“Sweetheart, wait,” he panted, pulling her hand away from his increasingly hard member.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked, her eyes full of uncertainty. It was so different than the last time they’d found themselves in this position. The first time they had made love, she’d been masquerading as Lacey, a swaggering sort of confidence accompanying her actions. She found freedom in the act. This time her motions were frantic, hurried and somewhat nervous. This was Belle.

“No, of course not, darling,” he said, reassuring her. “But, I feel like I owe it to you to make this something special. You deserve so much more than a quick fumble in my shop.”

“Who said it had to be quick?” she asked, leaning forward to kiss him again.

Gold groaned and pulled away with difficulty. “I can all but promise you this would be quick and unsatisfying, Belle.”

Belle reached up and cupped his face between her hands. A small smile started to spread across her perfect pink lips.

“I can’t imagine anything more _satisfying_ than being with you,” she whispered. “And I don’t care where we are, it’s already special because it’s you.”

He looked into her eyes then, really looked. Not just at the blindingly beautiful color, or the way they always seemed to sparkle even in the dimmest light. He truly gazed into them and saw the emotions there. How open and artless and _honest_ she was in this moment.

And he believed her. Despite the nearly half a century of experience he’d acquired that proved to him no one would ever want him. Despite the father that had abandoned him, the ex-wife he could never please, the son who wanted nothing to do with him, despite every shred of evidence to the contrary, he believed in Belle.

And by God did he love her.

The truth of that thought struck him dumb. He’d given up all hope of ever finding someone to spend his miserable life with, but here was Belle tearing down the walls he’d built around his heart without even trying. Those walls had been weak from the moment she started working for him and Saturday night took a wrecking ball to them. There was nothing left to shield him, he was hers.

And then he kissed her soundly as her hands found their way around his neck and his arms slid around her waist pulling her flush against him. They pulled at each other’s clothing frantically, eager to touch and taste and feel. There was no time for finesse, no time to draw it out like he had previously.

A few frenzied moments later his shirt, jacket and waistcoat were on the shop floor along with her sundress. He scooped her up in one swift movement and placed her on his workbench as she pulled at his belt and the button on his trousers. Before he could really register her actions she had pulled him out of his pants, her hand wrapping around his cock causing him to bite back a moan. She stroked him in long slow movements, her thumb coming to brush against the head of him. He was so close to coming he had to shut his eyes and grit his teeth to keep from spilling in her hand.

He tugged at her panties and she quickly shimmied out of them, leaving her bare on his workbench for the second time in three days. He could really get used to the sight.

But his admiration for her body was cut short when he felt her hand on him again, lining him up against her entrance. He pushed into her slowly, the wet heat of her almost overwhelming. He grabbed hold of her hips as he thrust shallowly into her, the angle caused by the workbench almost awkward. But then she leaned forward, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling her pelvis flush against his. He slid in deeper and they both gasped.

It went quickly after that, his thrusts gaining in momentum as his hands slid up from her hips to cup her breasts. Belle was panting and writhing beneath him, her head thrown back exposing her long neck to him. He bent over her, kissing and licking along the column of her throat, trying to hold back the orgasm that threatened to overwhelm him.

He could feel her getting close, her inner muscles fluttering around him as she started to tense. He moved his mouth from her neck to her breasts, sucking on one nipple before grazing it lightly with his teeth. Then Belle went rigid beneath him, crying out and he was helpless but to come along with her, spilling himself inside her.

He slumped against her, bracing himself on the bench as her arms came up to wrap around his sweaty shoulders. His ankle was screaming in pain, but he’d barely noticed it when he’d been inside Belle.

“Would you like to have dinner with me?” he asked, his face buried against her neck, hiding himself from the very real possibility that she would say no. Wanting him for sex didn’t necessarily mean she’d be up for dating him, and his old self-doubt was creeping in even when his cock was still inside the woman he was asking out.

Belle blushed, pulling away to catch his eye. “Like a date?”

The fact his innocent girl could blush at him asking her out after everything they’d just done together only made him love her all the more.

“Yes, sweetheart. I think we’ve reached that point.”

Belle’s smile was blinding. “I’d love to,” she giggled before adding, “John.”

It was the first time she’d said his first name, and it absolutely necessitated kissing her again. 

"Thank you,  _Belle_."


	3. Definitions and Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle and Gold seek to define their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tinuviel-undomiel prompted: Lacey needs Belle to switch with her so she can stall Keith. Gold sees Belle pretending to be Lacey again and is furious. Cue Angry Sex.

It was Thursday night in Storybrooke and Belle was beat. She'd stayed late at the pawnshop helping Gold go over some new inventory. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Mostly they'd flirted over tea and discussed their predictions for Game of Thrones. But she still technically worked late. She couldn't help it if she was kind of, sort of dating her boss and working late was a pleasure.

But despite her exhaustion, Belle had never been able to say no to Lacey. That's how she found herself once again dressed in her twin's clothes, hair pulled up in a teased ponytail and wearing more makeup than she was strictly comfortable with.

Lacey had a date with a new guy. He was apparently an oral surgeon, new in town and knew nothing of Lacey's reputation. Her dinner date was running late though and she was still technically in a relationship with Keith who she was supposed to meet at the Rabbit Hole at 10. Enter Belle.

She was supposed to dress up as Lacey, meet Keith outside the bar and stall him there for ten minutes while Lacey rushed over from the other side of town, slipped in the back and made her way to the bathroom. Belle would meet her there, swap outfits and Lacey would head out to meet her boyfriend with him being none the wiser. Belle had pointed out that it would be much easier to just break up with Keith, but Lacey had balked at the idea.

"He gets so sad when I dump him," her sister had said morosely. "And he's got the cutest accent when he's sad. I just can't do it."

Belle vaguely thought maybe she shouldn't be helping her sister cheat on Keith, but the truth was she couldn't stand the asshole. He'd somehow kept Lacey under his thumb for the better part of the past two years, but she knew her sister could do better.

She'd been leaning up against the brick facade of the bar, reading off her kindle app for her smart phone for close to ten minutes when Keith finally arrived.

"Lacey, my beautiful little flower," Keith called, walking up and seizing her about the waist. He leaned in to kiss her, but Belle presented him with her cheek instead. For his part, Keith seemed unfazed.

"What are you doing out here, baby doll? Let's go in and I'll buy you a drink."

Belle stopped him from entering the bar with a hand against his chest.

"Oh, I thought we could hang out here for a minute and talk," she said, putting on her best Lacey pout. "It gets so loud in there we can't really have a proper conversation."

"Talk, eh?" Keith waggled his eyebrows at her. "Alright then. How about we make our way to your favorite alleyway?"

Belle had to actively keep from gagging. How did her sister put up with this guy? They'd dated two years and he couldn't tell his girlfriend from her twin sister. Gold had spotted the difference in a matter of minutes, and she'd only been his employee.

"No, I really mean talk," Belle clarified. "I feel like I haven't seen you in a while."

Keith shrugged, looking slightly disappointed. "Been working a lot," he grunted.

Belle nodded and glanced down at her watch. She was supposed to keep him occupied for another seven minutes. She wasn't sure what she could do to keep him entertained until Lacey arrived.

Keith leaned back against the wall, popping a cigarette between his lips. He offered her one, but Belle just shook her head.

"So how is work?" she asked awkwardly. She couldn't for the life of her remember what Keith actually did for a living.

Her sister's boyfriend just shrugged. "Same old, same old you know. Fucking prick boss."

Belle just nodded again, glancing down to see she still had six minutes to go. This wasn't going to end well.

"Look, Lace, why don't we just go back to my place?" Keith said suddenly, stubbing out his cigarette and leaning toward her, pinning her between his body and the wall. She did her best not to flinch away.

"I haven't seen you in a while, but the Big Guy's gone even longer," he whispered against her ear, rubbing up against her suggestively.

Belle actually choked at that, pulling on her ponytail nervously.

"Um, you know I think we should have that drink after all, actually."

She tried to sidle away from him but he clutched her by the hips, grinding himself harder against her.

"You know I love it when you play hard to get," he whispered, the stale scent of his cigarette breath wafting across her face. "Come on, baby. I know you want it."

Belle squeezed her eyes shut, trying to divine a way out of this situation when they were interrupted by a familiar Scottish brogue.

"Is there a problem here?"

Keith spun around, revealing Mr. Gold standing just behind him, his brown eyes as hard as chips of ice.

* * *

It was the last day of the month, and Gold was running late on his rent collection. He'd stayed at the shop for far too long talking with Belle, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Still, he had a reputation to keep up and not showing up on the last day of the month for the rent from his tenants would not stand. Just because he was falling in love with his beautiful assistant didn't mean he could afford to be lax in other aspects of his life.

He'd saved the Rabbit Hole for last knowing they stayed open later than any of the other establishments in his debt, and he was somewhat cranky. Rent collection day always wreaked havoc on his ankle and he'd had to give in and drive to his final destination. He pulled his Cadillac up along side the building and stepped out into the steamy night air.

Walking around to the front of the building he caught sight of a couple canoodling off to the side of the front door. When the big oaf of a man moved he realized the woman was Belle’s sister, Lacey. Honestly, the girl could do so much better than the scum that populated the Rabbit Hole. He wondered why she hadn’t gotten out of Storybrooke like Belle had.

Lacey seemed uncomfortable with the man’s attention, visibly shying away from him. That wouldn’t do. He strode forward, intending to break them up when Lacey pulled on her hair in an extremely familiar way. It was a nervous habit of Belle’s.

The realization struck him like a kick to the gut. That wasn’t Lacey. It was Belle. She’d apparently taken her act on the road, seeing if she could fool any other men in Storybrooke.

Gold shook his head at the thought. He and Belle had never defined their relationship in any real way. They’d gone on dates, they’d fucked, but he had no claim on her. She was free to do whatever she wanted.

But he couldn’t help the raw fury that seemed to rise in his chest at the sight of another man touching her. It might as well have been twenty years ago, history repeating itself at this same shit bar, watching the woman he loved flirt with a dark haired stranger.

He should go in to the bar, collect his rent and leave. But Gold had never been one to do the right thing.

Before he could fully formulate a plan he’d walked up behind them and coughed loudly.

“Is there a problem here?” he drawled, attempting nonchalance and probably sounding as stricken as he felt.

The man wheeled around and he vaguely recognized him as Nottingham, one of his tenants. Well that bit of information worked in his favor.

“Mr. Gold,” Nottingham stuttered. “No problem at all. We were just heading home.”

Behind him Belle was pressed up against the brick building, her eyes wide and staring.

“Oh were you?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at Belle.

“No!” Belle exclaimed. “We were going in for a drink, right?”

Nottingham shrugged. “If that’s what you want, baby.”

Gold kept his face impassive, but his insides clinched uncomfortably at the sleazy man’s term of endearment for Belle. The feeling of jealousy inside him was growing by the second, yawning and clawing like some primal creature ready to tear the world apart in a rage.

Belle turned to Nottingham with a smile that did nothing to soothe Gold's inner monster.

“Why don’t you go inside and order me a drink. I actually have something to discuss with Mr. Gold.”

Nottingham looked vaguely confused, glancing from Belle to Gold and back. But his innate fear of the smaller man must have overwhelmed his curiosity and he headed into the bar without question.

“What are you doing here?” Belle whipped around at him the moment the other man was out of sight.

“Collecting rent, dearie,” Gold said coldly. “What were you doing? Picked up a second job?”

His meaning was clear and Belle blanched.

“Is that what you think?”

Gold shrugged, pulling on years of disappointment and anger to mask his hurt. “I see you’ve taken your show on the road. The act is slipping. You were even less convincing than the time you came after me. Maybe you should stop pretending to be your sister and wear your true face when you feel like whoring around.”

The slap landed soundly against his left cheek, stinging. It was nothing more than he deserved.

He’d never seen Belle look so angry, her cheeks were flushed, eyes shining brightly even in the dim light outside the bar as though lit by an inner fire. Even heartbroken as he was he could still recognize her as the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

“How dare you,” she rasped out. “You don’t own me. You’ve never indicated you wanted us to be anything exclusive. How dare you judge me?”

He knew she was right, knew he had no claim on her. But he seemed to have abandoned all reason. He knew firmly he would regret his actions tomorrow. But he couldn’t stop himself. He was too hurt, too angry.

“You’re fired, Miss French,” he said coldly, turning to walk back to his car. He’d worry about the rent tomorrow. Tonight he wanted to go home and drown his sorrows at the bottom of a bottle. Who had he been kidding; fooling himself into thinking Belle could have actual feelings for him? His own parents hadn’t wanted him. How could she?

“What?” Belle screeched, coming up behind him and grabbing him by the arm. “You got what you wanted from me and that’s it? Now I’m damaged goods?”

“Oh trust me,” he hissed back. “I didn’t get what I wanted from you.”

Belle stepped back from him, dropping his arm.

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he replied, smoothing the creases in his suit jacket where Belle had clutched at him. “Our association is over.”

“No,” Belle insisted. “It’s not. I signed a contract with you and you cannot fire me without just cause.”

Gold arched an eyebrow at her. Was she really trying to go head to head with him over one of his contracts?

“Section 3B, I can terminate your employment for behavior unbecoming of a representative of myself and my business.”

“You’re firing me because you’re jealous of Keith,” Belle said with a roll of her eyes. “I didn’t even do anything.”

“I’m not jealous, dearie,” Gold lied through his teeth. “I’d just rather not have my employee parading around town in whatever that get up is supposed to be and throwing herself at random men in a parking lot. Doesn’t reflect well on me.”

“I wasn’t throwing myself at anyone!” Belle yelled at him. “If you’d just let me explain –”

“No explanation needed,” he cut her off. “It was only a matter of time before you moved on to greener pastures.”

“And you think that’s Keith?” Belle asked incredulously.

“You two seemed quite close.”

“I can’t stand that bastard,” Belle said, throwing her head back. “He’s Lacey’s boyfriend you idiot. She’s on a date with someone else and asked me to cover for her until she got here, for Christ’s sake.”

Gold was genuinely speechless at that. Of course Belle could be lying, but he knew Belle. She wouldn’t do that. She’d also never run around with another man without telling him, regardless of if they were technically in a relationship or not. The jealous creature in his chest seemed to shrivel and shrink, leaving him feeling worthless and embarrassed.

“What?” was all he managed to choke out.

“I’m not with Keith. I was trying to help Lacey.”

Gold nodded, not quite able to look her in the eye.

“Take me home,” Belle said, walking around him to his car and waiting at the passenger side door for him to follow.

He limped along after her, terribly aware of how heavily he was leaning on his cane. He felt like an old fool. How had he let his insecurities take hold of him so quickly? How had he said such awful things to Belle? Only a few short hours ago she’d been coyly flirting with him over the rim of her teacup, and now he’d ruined everything. She’d never want to see him again.

Despite that revelation, she apparently would rather not walk home in her heels. She slid into the front seat of his car smoothly, staring out the windshield in icy silence.

He put the car in drive and pulled out onto Main Street headed for the flower shop. He wondered if she’d bother coming into work tomorrow. He supposed he had fired her. She must know that didn’t stand, right? He glanced over to her but Belle was still staring straight ahead, arms folded across her chest.

He sighed deeply as he turned onto her street.

“Where are we going?” she said finally.

Gold looked at her confusedly. “I’m taking you home, like you asked.” He gestured at the darkened flower shop storefront down the street.

Belle rolled her eyes, sitting back with a huff.

“I meant _your_ home.”

Gold stepped on the brake. “What?”

“I don’t want to go to my father’s house. I want to go to your house,” Belle recited slowly as though speaking to a child.

“Why?”

Belle sighed. “Because you’re a complete and total asshole who implied I was being paid for sex because you saw me talking to another man.”

“And I ask again, why?”

“That’s not how I’m going to let us leave tonight,” Belle said firmly. “So take me to your house where we can talk.”

Gold nodded, turning the car around and heading to his own home. When they arrived a few minutes later, he turned the car off but neither made a move to get out.

“I’m mad at you,” Belle said after a moment. “I’m livid.”

“As you should be,” Gold agreed.

“You’re mad at me too,” she stated.

“Not anymore,” he said with a shake of his head.

“But you were. What did you think, I was being unfaithful?”

Gold shook his head again. “You’ve nothing to be faithful to.”

“Exactly,” Belle agreed. “You’ve seemed to be happy with the way our relationship has gone so far, but that’s apparently not the case.”

“No,” he said quietly.

They sat in silence for another long beat, Gold starting to sweat beneath his collar. He didn’t want to have this conversation. He didn’t want to disrupt this fragile thing between them. They’d never made any promises to each other, but for the moment he had her. If he voiced everything he really wanted, she’d run for the hills. He was losing her back to Boston in a few weeks anyway, he didn’t want to speed along that terrible moment when his life would lose its only light.

“I’m not a whore,” her words pierced through his thoughts.

“I know.”

“Do you?” she questioned. “You seemed to think me capable of anything.”

He didn’t know how to answer her so he stared down at his hands still on the steering wheel.

“I was trying to get away from Keith when you showed up but he was proving hard to shake,” she continued. “If you’d have stopped and evaluated the scene for five seconds you would have realized that. But I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you.”

Another thought struck him suddenly. She was a tiny little thing, so small even he towered over her. Keith was fucking giant in comparison. If he’d decided he wanted her badly enough, there would have been little she could do to stop it.

“What the fuck were you thinking, Belle?” he lashed out, finally meeting her eyes. “Do you have any idea of what could have happened to you? Why were you hanging around that seedy bar by yourself?”

“I told you, it was for Lacey.”

“Bullshit,” he exclaimed. “Let your sister take care of her own messes.”

“Don’t try to deflect this on to me,” Belle replied angrily. “You’re the one in the wrong.”

“You were the one seducing your twin sister’s boyfriend so she could run around behind his back!”

“I was trying to help her!” Belle cried. “Maybe you’d understand that kind of loyalty if you knew anything about family.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she seemed to realize she’d gone too far. She clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide. Belle didn't know the whole of his history, but it was still a low blow.

“John, I didn’t mean –”

“No, you’re right,” he cut across her apologies. “I had a family once, you know. I had a wife who coincidentally left me for a man she met in that very bar you were in tonight.”

“Oh God,” she stuttered out. “I didn’t – you have to believe me –”

 "I know."

Belle shook her head, tears springing to her stunning eyes.

"We're a complete mess, aren't we?"

"Aye," Gold agreed.

"I enable my sister, you have a jealous streak and we're both shockingly cruel."

"Those closest to us are capable of causing us the most pain," he recited. "That's why I don't let anyone close."

Belle stared at him. Despite the bond they'd forged over the past month he'd still maintained some of his usual guarded demeanor. This was the most open he'd been with her since the conversation where he'd told her his first name.

"Anyone?" she prompted.

"For a long time that was true," he agreed. "Until you."

He'd said the last part almost in a whisper, but of course she'd heard.

"Then why were you so willing to throw it all away tonight? You can't honestly think I'd prefer Keith to you."

Gold shrugged, steeling his nerves, trying to push down the cowardice inside him that told him to run, go to his house and slam the door in her face. If he told her everything he wanted, he'd be vulnerable, exposed like a raw nerve. She could destroy him with a word. Could he willingly give her that power over him?

"Jealousy isn't always a reasonable thing, Belle," he said finally. "And I was jealous. I hated seeing another man touch you. And I hated myself for feeling that way because I know I have no right to."

When she didn't respond, he continued, pushing back at the voice inside his head screaming for him to quit while he was ahead, to let this thing fizzle and die before it could destroy him.

“Fuck it, Belle. I know you’re leaving town in three weeks so I might as well say it now," he spat out before he could lose his nerve. "I want you. Every part of you from now until the end of time. I never want to see another man's hands on you. I want you to be mine, and mine alone. I want -"

His words were suddenly cut off by a flurry of movement as Belle straddled him in the driver's seat of his car, her lips finding his. For a second he was absolutely stunned to find himself with a lap full of Belle, but only a second. As soon as he recovered himself he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her back.

She broke away a moment later, gazing at him with an unreadable look in her blue eyes.

"Belle, I -" he stuttered.

"Shut up," Belle demanded. "Just stop talking, you complete and total idiot."

Gold couldn't find it in him to be insulted by her assessment of him, not when Belle was straddling him, her hot little hands gripping his shoulders and her eyes blazing.

She grabbed one of his hands that was gripping her waist and pulled it up under her skirt, cupping her over the damp fabric of her panties.

"Do you feel that?" she asked. "You do that to me, no one else. Never anyone but you."

Gold couldn't help the low keening sound that escaped him at the feel of her moist heat. He wanted her, God's help him did he want her. But that wasn't it. He wanted _all_ of her. He wanted to make her breakfast on lazy Sunday mornings. He wanted to cuddle up with her on the sofa during rainstorms. He wanted Chinese takeout and movie nights. He wanted her for everything. How could he explain that to a teenager?

"It isn't just about the sex, Belle," he started.

"No," she replied resolutely. "It isn't."

He stared into her eyes for a moment, reading in their cerulean depths all the things going unsaid between them. And suddenly he wasn't afraid anymore. There were things that needed to be said, and she was ready to hear them.

"I love you," he said with a surety he was only just beginning to feel.

Belle nodded, a little smile breaking through. And then her lips were on his again, coaxing his mouth open with her tongue as her hands tangled in his hair. She hadn't said the words back, but she'd heard them and she was still here. That had to count for something.

"I'm still mad at you," she said, breaking away breathlessly. "You're going to need to do a lot of groveling."

"I'm prepared for that."

"You can start now," she replied, scrabbling with the buckle of his belt as she ground her hips against him. She slipped her hand inside his trousers, wrapping it around his cock and bringing him to full aching hardness with a few pumps of her hand.

"Make love to me," she whispered against his ear.

He should take her inside, lay her down across his bed and spend the entire night worshipping her body. But there would be time for that. There would be time for everything.

Belle hiked her skirt up over her hips, pushing her panties to the side and sank down on him in one swift movement, her silken heat enveloping him.

Gold threw his head back, his hips thrusting up into her trying to go as deep as possible. Belle let out a little gasp, gripping his shoulders even more tightly as she adjusted to him inside her. Then she was rolling her hips against him, riding him, taking everything she wanted.

He yanked at the buttons on the front of her blouse, pulling the cups of her bra down to free her breasts. Taking one nipple in his mouth, he sucked hard, Belle's inner muscles tightening around him at the sensation.

"God, yes, John. Please!" she cried.

Gold gripped her backside with one hand as she continued to plunge down onto him. His other hand snaked between them, rubbing at her clit in concert with the thrusts of her hips. It didn't take long before she was breaking apart, screaming as her orgasm shook her. Her tight cunt gripped him like a vice, but he wasn't ready to come just yet.

He continued to stroke her through her climax until she finally slumped against his chest, sweaty and spent. Then she rolled off him, back to her own seat. His cock stood there glistening obscenely, coated in her wetness.

"What -" he began, looking from his cock, flushed almost purple it was so hard, and then to Belle.

"We'll finish you inside," Belle said with an evil smirk. "I think you deserve a little punishment for the things you said to me."

Gold was beyond words, growling ferally as Belle giggled, righting her clothing.

"Come on, John," she called as she climbed out of the car and headed for his front door. "Don't want any of your neighbors seeing us like this."

Gold tucked himself back into his pants with a groan. His ankle had already been throbbing and now with the added stiffness in his pants, the short walk from the car to his front door was agony.

As soon as they were in the front door, Belle kicked off her heels and reached up on her tip toes to kiss him again. He gripped her tightly, partly out of desire and partly to keep himself upright. Belle pulled away, gripping his hand and heading for the living room. He sent up a silent prayer to whoever was listening that she hadn't headed for the bedroom. He didn't think he could manage stairs in his present condition.

"Sit," Belle instructed him, pointing at the leather sofa. He sank onto the piece of furniture gratefully, stretching his bad ankle out awkwardly.

Belle must have noticed his discomfort.

"Are you in pain?" she asked, her smile vanishing from her lips.

Gold grimaced. The last thing he wanted to do was call attention to his age or his injury.

"Nothing I can't manage, sweetheart," he said placatingly. "And nothing more than I deserve."  

"Good," she said, smiling again. "Because now I want you to fuck me senseless."

His cock twitched at her words, and gave another twitch when she stripped off her wrinkled top, skirt, bra and panties and reclined against the sofa, spreading her legs for him.

She arched an eyebrow at him and all thought of his ankle was banished from his mind. In a split second he had shucked his jacket and trousers. Belle gripped him by his necktie, pulling him over her as he settled between her legs. Then he was pushing back into Belle's sweet body, _home_ he thought.

He rocked hard against her, setting a punishing pace. Belle still had a grip on his tie and pulled him down for a sloppy kiss.

"Hated seeing that bastard touching you," he murmured against her lips. "Never want anyone to touch you."

Belle wrapped her legs around his waist, her back arching off the sofa. "Don't want anyone else," she gasped. "Only you. You're mine."

Yes. He was hers, utterly and completely. She could have any part of him she wished, the good, the bad and everything in between.

"Mine," Belle continued, stroking his hair. _Mine. Mine. Mine._ She said it with every thrust until he believed her, that she truly wanted him, all of him.

"I love you, too," she gasped out, tensing around him. Her words were like a balm to his weary soul. He could no more keep from coming than he could stop the tide or keep the seasons from changing. He spent himself inside her, slumping against her with those precious words reverberating in his head.

_I love you, too._

They laid there, panting on the living room couch as Belle idly stroked his hair, pressing kisses to the top of his head.

"Does this mean we're exclusive now?" she asked after a minute. "That I'm your girlfriend?"

"You're damn right it does," he growled back, turning his head so he could kiss her throat. He supposed he was a little old to be someone's boyfriend, but if Belle wanted him to wear the title, he gladly would.

"Want to know a secret?" Belle whispered playfully. "We've been exclusive since day one in my mind."

He raised his head from her neck, looking at her in wonder. "Same here."

Belle pulled him toward her for a kiss, sucking on his bottom lip and sending jolts of electricity down his spine. He apparently needed very little refractory period when Belle was naked underneath him. 

Breaking away, she beamed up at him.

"Now that we're official, I guess there's no more slinking around not telling anyone about us," she said with a smirk. "I think it might be time to tell my dad about my new boyfriend."

He never thought anything that came from Belle's perfect pink lips could kill his arousal, but she may have just found the magic words.


	4. Details

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a simple case of mistaken identity comes full circle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: There are some allusions to an underage relationship.

There were few things in this world that Keith Nottingham knew for certain, but chief among those were that his 1969 Chevy Camaro SS was the greatest car in the world, there would never be anyone cooler than Steve McQueen, and Lacey French was his girl, no questions asked. Anyone who dared to argue with him on any of those three fronts would be at the receiving end of his fist. Well, Keith didn’t like to fight so maybe not a fist. But they’d at least be on the receiving end of a lengthy, alcohol fueled lecture.

It was that last point that was needling him tonight. Ever since the night he met Lacey, outside the Rabbit Hole two weeks shy of her eighteenth birthday, he’d known she was the girl for him. She was like a contained explosion, you never knew what you were going to get with Lacey but he was happy to spend the rest of his life being surprised. She was five feet of perfection; gorgeous body, gorgeous face, and a bloody life changing fuck to top it all off. And sure, he fooled around on her every once in a while, but Lacey always inevitably found out. She’d explode, he’d apologize, they’d fuck like animals against a wall somewhere and the status quo would be reset. They’d split up occasionally in the past, but it never took. He was addicted to Lacey, and he knew deep down she felt the same about him.

But tonight she was acting strange. He almost thought she might have heard about the thing with the waitress from last weekend, but she hadn’t yelled or punched him so it couldn’t be that. Then she’d sent him inside to get her a drink like some servant while she stayed outside talking to Gold. God only knew what business she had with that old bastard, but he didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him. If he wasn’t so certain Lacey would rather quit drinking cold turkey than fuck Gold, he might be jealous.

Regardless, his interest was piqued, and after downing a quick shot at the bar, he made his way back outside.

It was with a jolt that he saw Lacey stomping off toward Gold’s Cadillac in a snit. A moment later Gold had joined her and they’d driven off together.

What the fuck was happening? First Lacey was acting like a nutcase outside the bar and now she was leaving with his landlord? Rage boiled up inside Keith. He couldn’t imagine _his_ girl ever going for a man like that, but he couldn’t deny what he’d seen with his own eyes. Gold owned half the town; he could very easily make Keith’s life a living hell. But his usual sense of self-preservation just wasn’t kicking in. Lacey was his, and it was time the old fucker realized it.

He hopped in his Camaro, following behind the Cadillac at a distance. Wherever those two were going together, it wasn’t going to be pretty when Keith caught up to them. 

* * *

Lacey checked her watch for the seventh time that minute, letting out a frustrated groan before pressing Belle’s pre set number in her phone. At the sound of Belle’s voicemail, once again, she slammed her hand against the grafittied bathroom wall.

“Belle! Where the hell are you?” she screeched into her phone. “I was supposed to meet you fifteen minutes ago. Call me!”

She hung up right as Ruby sauntered into the bathroom, checking her lipstick in the mirror over the sink.

“Ruby!” Lacey latched on to her friend. “You’ve got to help me. Have you seen Belle?”

“No,” Ruby said with a shrug. “I think she might have been her earlier, but she left.”

“What do you mean she left?” Lacey asked exasperatedly.

“She left,” Ruby said slowly, as though talking to a small child. “She was here, now she’s not.”

Lacey rolled her eyes at her friend. “Was Keith with her?”

“Why would Keith be with Belle?” Ruby asked puzzled.

“Because Belle was supposed to be stalling him for me so I could get here to meet him. Now neither of them are here and Belle’s not answering her phone.”

“Call Keith then,” Ruby said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“I can’t call Keith, Ruby!” Lacey nearly shouted. “If he’s with Belle, who is pretending to be me, it would ruin the entire plan!”

“Oh,” Ruby said, cottoning on. “Well neither of them are here. I saw Keith at the bar earlier but he left too.”

“You’ve been very helpful,” Lacey said sarcastically.

“I try,” Ruby replied with a wink before heading back out into the bar. 

Lacey slammed her hand against the wall again. Well, there was no use waiting it out in the bathroom if her sister was never going to show and Keith wasn’t around. She followed Ruby out of the bathroom and headed to the bar hoping one of the bartenders had seen her sister.

Belle had promised to help. It was completely unlike her to skip out when Lacey needed her. She worried, for a split second, that maybe Keith had realized their deception and done something to Belle. But her boyfriend was mostly harmless. If he’d somehow worked out that Belle wasn’t Lacey, he’d have tracked her down to yell at her and then cry. That was his usual m.o. anyway.

Peter, the bartender, came her way with her usual whiskey sour and reiterated what Ruby had already told her. Keith had been there earlier but split soon after.

She sucked down the drink as fast as she could and then headed out into the night. If Keith wasn’t concerned with meeting up, then she wouldn’t be either. Her date had gone reasonably well, and there was no reason not to cut Keith off anyway.

She’d thought he was cute when she was 17 and he seemed older and sophisticated. She’d always had a thing for British accents, and on top of that he’d had a cool car and wasn’t in high school. Now she was nearing 20 and realized Keith was a fucking idiot. What kind of pathetic loser hung around the bar at 28 scoping out high school girls? It was far past time to end this toxic little thing they had. Besides, she rather thought she was getting a little old for his tastes.

The walk home took no time at all and pretty soon Lacey found herself staring at the front door of her dad’s apartment. She could hear the strains of some old sitcom coming from inside and gritted her teeth. She really had to get her own place.

Having Belle back for the summer only threw into relief what a mess her life really was. Her sister had a plan, a goal she was working toward. Lacey was just floundering.

With a sigh, she pushed open the front door, waving to her dad on her way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed.

Once she was clean, the night’s makeup cleared away and her wet hair curling about her shoulders, she pulled on an oversized t-shirt and comfortable pair of sweat pants. She was slightly put out that she’d rushed out of her date to meet up with Keith all for naught, but it was probably for the best that she hadn’t gone home with this one on the first date. He was a classy guy, had taken her to a nice restaurant. It wasn’t what Lacey was used to, but she thought she could grow to like it. She had even dressed the part, borrowing one of Belle’s dresses and going light on the hairspray.  

As she headed back out to the kitchen for a glass of water, she heard raised voices that for once weren’t coming from the television.

“She’s not here, so you can get the hell out of my house,” she heard her father yell.

“Look, Mr. French, I know you’ve never liked me, but you’re going to want to hear what I have to say.”

“Keith?” Lacey said, surprised, walking into the front hall. “What are you doing here?”

“Trying to save your stupid sister from a world of trouble,” he told her, turning back to face her father. “Mr. French, Lacey is cheating on me with Mr. Gold.”

“Oh, Christ,” Lacey sighed, leaning against the doorframe. So that’s what had happened. Gold must have come along and ruined everything.

“Are you drunk?” her father asked, leaning forward to sniff the air around Keith.

“I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes,” Keith said, though his bloodshot eyes did lend credence to the drunk theory. “She left the Rabbit Hole with him and I followed them. Saw her fucking him in the front seat of his car. I would have done something to stop them, but I thought you should know.”

“You mean you were too cowardly to confront Gold,” he father growled. “Fat lot of good you are.”

With a glance down at her clothes, Lacey came to an important decision. Her life was already fucked, but she could still save Belle.

“I didn’t want to say anything, but Lacey has been seeing him for a few weeks,” she said, changing her voice ever so slightly to seamlessly transition into Belle. “Dad, please don’t be angry with her.”

Her father’s face changed from the confusion he’d worn when speaking to Keith to utter outrage in the blink of an eye. He would never question the veracity of something Belle told him to be true.

“What the goddamned hell!” he cried, rushing toward Lacey. “You knew about this? Why didn’t you stop her?”

“She’s an adult, Dad,” Lacey said, forcing tears to her eyes. “She can make her own choices.”

“Your sister is an idiot and you know it,” her father said, and Lacey blanched at his assessment. “She’s never made a good decision in her life. I count on you to keep her in line, Petal!”

“Well I guess I messed up,” she replied, glancing down at her bare feet.

“What does she think she’s doing?” her father continued, whipping himself into a frenzy. “It’s one thing to whore around with fuck ups like you – ” he gestured at Keith.

“Hey!” Keith said, affronted, but her father continued as if he hadn’t interrupted.

“—But Gold is dangerous! The man’s a monster, and he’s made our family’s life a living hell. Well I don’t care how much of this town he owns, he’s not getting my daughter.”

With that her father barged out the front door of the apartment, Keith close on his heels. Lacey grabbed a pair of Belle’s running shoes from beside the door and tugged them on as she trailed after them. She was already a disappointment to her father; she wouldn’t let Belle fall in his estimation as well. Her sister constantly saved her, but tonight it was her turn to do the same.

* * *

Belle awoke to John shifting beneath her. He wrapped his arms more tightly around her as he let out a sleepy little sound that made her smile. She was in no hurry to get up. Her head was pillowed on Gold's chest, his heartbeat thrumming beneath her ear. He'd pulled a blanket over them from the back of sofa, but they were both naked underneath, his warm skin pressed against hers. She felt completely content, though she knew it was only a matter of time before she'd have to get dressed and head home. Hopefully soon that wouldn't be the case. She looked forward to the day when she could spend the night in his bed and wake up in his arms.

They'd fallen asleep on the sofa after a long conversation about the best way to make their relationship public. They would have to tell her father first, and while John didn't seem too keen on the idea, Belle couldn't wait until she no longer had to hide. She was in love, and she wanted everyone to know it.

Despite her excitement, she was still slightly nervous about her father's reaction. She was sure he wouldn't understand. His bias against Mr. Gold was long founded, and she was sure his mind wouldn't be changed overnight. But she hoped if they just got to know each other, if John showed the rest of the world the man he was beneath his rough exterior, that her family would come to accept him. She had Lacey in her corner, and experience showed her sister could convince their father of almost anything. She hoped this situation would be the same.

She glanced down at her watch, estimating that she had about an hour left until she would be expected home. She'd just started to drift back to sleep when she was roused by a loud banging.

John sat up with a snort, knocking her to the ground unintentionally.

"Belle?" he said sleepily, glancing around until he found her sprawled naked on the floor.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry," he apologized, helping her back up on the sofa and kissing her nose. "What was that noise?"

In answer to his question, the banging started again, rattling the stained glass window of his front door.

"There's someone at the door," Belle said uselessly.

"Well hang them," Gold said with a shrug. "It's the middle of the night. Whatever they want can wait."

He'd just pulled Belle into his arms, arranging them more comfortably on the sofa when the doorbell started buzzing followed by yelling.

"Gold!" a booming familiar voice called from outside. "I know you're in there! Open up you bastard!"

Belle felt her heart plummet to her knees.

"Well that could be anyone," Gold joked, smirking at her horror stricken face.

"It's my father," she whispered, suddenly keenly aware of just how naked she was, rumpled and reeking of sex. If her father walked in right now there would be no doubt of what they'd been up to.

"What do we do?" she asked panicked, barely daring to breathe lest she give away her presence to her irate father outside. And now that she thought about it, what exactly was he doing here in the first place?

Gold didn't answer, merely stood up and started pulling on his trousers.

"You're not going to answer the door, are you?" Belle hissed, jumping up to grab her own clothes off the floor.

"We have nothing to hide," he replied grimly.

"Please," she begged him as the banging on the front door started up again. "I don't want him to find out like this!"

"Well he obviously already suspects something," Gold said, motioning toward the foyer.

"Lacey," she said softly, the truth dawning on her.

"What?"

"I was so mad at you, I just left the bar. I didn't think. I didn't meet her and swap outfits. She probably got in trouble with Keith and wanted to get back at me!"

"You think your sister would do that?" he asked skeptically.

"No, but she’s the only one who knows about us!"

 The banging against the front door intensified, and Belle looked up at Gold with a terrified expression. He stared at her for a long moment before caving.

"Go out the back," he whispered. "I'll handle this."

She nodded, wrapping the blanket tightly around herself and heading for the back door when the front door slammed open with a resounding crash and the sound of splintered wood.

Belle froze halfway across the room as her father stormed in, red faced and wild eyed, with Keith right behind him and Lacey bringing up the rear. Her father looked from Gold, standing in the living room in nothing but his trousers, to Belle, wrapped up in a blanket and clutching her clothes in one hand, and let out a rasping noise that sounded like a wounded animal. Keith was licking his lips and glaring at Gold. Lacey just looked miserable.

“Mr. French,” Gold said coolly. “Might I have an explanation for your breaking and entering? I’ll expect you to pay for that door.”

If it was possible, her father’s face turned even redder. In fact he’d gone slightly purplish. Despite being mortified by his behavior, she was suddenly concerned for his heart.

“You!” her father sputtered, lifting a finger to point threateningly at Gold. “I’ll kill you!”

With a speed that belied his age and size, her father rushed around the side of the couch with his arm raised threateningly. He plowed into Gold, knocking the smaller man against the wall and pinning him there.

“Dad, stop!” Belle cried, forgetting for a moment that she was wearing nothing but a throw blanket, and rushing forward.

“How dare you!” her father yelled, as Gold struggled to force him off. “That’s my daughter! My little girl!”

“She’s not a child,” Gold gasped. “She’s a grown woman and fully capable of making decisions for herself.”

Moe let out an anguished sound, pulling his arm back as if to land a blow. But when he tried to bring one meaty fist down on Gold’s head, the pawnbroker simply knocked his arm away with his cane, the gold tipped end colliding with Moe’s forearm with a sickening crack.

Her father let out a yowl, stumbling backward and cradling his injured arm. Gold pushed away from the wall, rubbing at the back of his head with a grimace.

“Keith,” her father roared, “get him!”

Keith’s eyes widened at the order and he suddenly looked very nervous, backing away toward the ruined front door where Lacey was still standing.

“What did you do?” Belle asked her sister miserably.

“Lacey,” her sister replied with a pointed look. “I tried to stop them, but they made me tell them everything.”

“What are you talking about?” Belle asked. Why was her sister calling her Lacey? Was she trying to cover for her, taking the brunt of their father’s displeasure and letting Belle off the hook? Well, Belle wasn’t going to let her do that.

 “Keith saw you two together,” her father snarled. “What does he have on you? Do you owe him money?”

“What?” Belle sputtered, her attention diverted back to her father. “Of course not!”

“Then, why?” her father continued, stumbling back to sit on the sofa and still holding his arm. “Why would you do this? He’s a monster!”

“He’s not a monster, Dad,” she said sadly, looking across the room toward John. “He’s a wonderful man, and I love him.”

Despite the awkwardness of their current situation, Gold’s face split into a soft smile at her words, and it was enough to bolster Belle’s confidence. This wasn’t how she would have chosen to tell her father about them, but she couldn’t regret it. She wanted to be with John, come hell or high water. It was time her father found out.

“You love him?” Keith roared, rounding on Belle. “When the fuck did this happen?”

“What does it matter to you?” Belle asked, confused.

“When my fucking girlfriend says she loves some other bloke, especially some old bloke with a limp!” he yelled. “Look, Lace, I’ve put up with a lot from you. I might even overlook this if you were getting paid or something. But if you’re fucking him because you want to, then I’m sorry, we are through!”

Belle rolled her eyes, startled by Keith, and her own father’s, apparent stupidity.

“I’m not Lacey, you bloody idiot!” she cried. “I’m Belle!”

“Nice try,” Keith scoffed. “But I think I’d know my own girlfriend, thank you very much.”

Behind him, Lacey was shaking her head frantically. But Belle had had enough. This whole situation began because she had pretended to be her sister, and she was tired of it. John hadn’t bought the deception for a minute, but Keith and her father were only too happy to believe the worst of Lacey. Of the three men in the room, the one who knew them best was John Gold. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad.

Making up her mind, Belle seized the sides of the blanket wrapped around her and held them open, revealing herself to Keith.

“Would you?” she smirked as Keith’s eyes raked over her body. “Lacey has a tattoo on her left hip. Do you see a tattoo, Keith?”

Nottingham’s cheeks went slightly red as he started to sputter. His eyes darted down to her hip before flicking up to stare at her breasts. Beside him, Lacey reached out and smacked his shoulder.

“Oi! Fuckbrains! Stop ogling my sister!”

He startled, turning to look at Lacey.

“Lace?”

In answer to his question, Lacey pulled down the waistband of her sweats revealing the small butterfly tattoo she’d gotten on her eighteenth birthday.

“Babe,” Keith said with a smile. “Knew it was you…”

“You can’t tell me apart from my fucking sister?” Lacey cried, smacking him in the arm again. “You try to rat on my sister to our dad? We’re fucking through, Keith!”

“You can’t mean that,” he said with a hangdog expression. “We’re made for each other Lacey.”

“I know you fucked an underage Granny’s waitress last weekend,” Lacey said, crossing her arms against her chest. “Want me to call the cops?”

Keith gulped, eyes widening.

“She said she was eighteen!” he swore.

“She lied,” Lacey smirked, pointing toward the door. “Now leave.”

Keith nodded, glancing over to where Gold and Moe were watching the scene unfold with mouths slightly open.

“I meant no offense with the old bloke business,” Keith directed to Gold, holding his hands up placatingly. “Personally I think the cane is quite dashing.”

“Get out of my house,” Gold growled threateningly. A second later, Keith had sprinted down the front steps and out into the night.

“Belle?” her father said shakily, his eyes wide with something akin to horror.

“Dad,” she began. “I don’t expect you to understand. But I need you to trust me. I love John and I know what I’m doing.”

“Love?” her father replied miserably. “Love? Are you bloody insane!”

“No,” she said firmly. “I love him. And if you just gave him a chance…”

“Get dressed,” her father spat, standing from his place on the sofa. “We’re leaving, you’re getting on the first bus back to Boston, and you’re never going to see this bastard again.”

“No,” Belle said resolutely. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Isabelle Marie French, you are my child and you will do as I say!” her father yelled.

Her reply was interrupted by a sharp knock on the open door followed by the arrival of Sheriff Swan, picking her way over splintered wood with wide eyes.

“Uh, we had a call down at the station of a possible domestic disturbance,” Emma said, taking in the scene in front of her. Her eyes flicked from the smashed in front door to Gold, standing shirtless in the living room to Belle, with her blanket partially open, to Moe, cradling his possibly broken arm and finally to Lacey, who comparatively looked to be the most normal of the lot. “If I didn't see it, I wouldn't believe it. Any idea why Keith Nottingham was high tailing it down the street?”

“I dumped him,” Lacey said proudly.

Emma gave her an approving look.

“Sheriff, I want you to arrest this man!” Moe pleaded, pointing at Gold. “He’s molesting my daughter!”

“He’s absolutely not,” Belle cried over him. “Anything that has happened between us has been completely consensual.”

“Arrest him anyway!” Moe cried frantically. “She’s just a child and he’s taking advantage of her!”

“Mr. French,” Emma said rationally. “If there’s a consensual relationship between Mr. Gold and your daughter there is nothing I can do about it. She’s a legal adult.”

Despite her words, Emma was eyeing Gold suspiciously.

“If anyone should be arrested tonight, it’s the man who busted down my door,” Gold intoned, but no one was listening to him.

“You know what he’s like,” her father continued. “My Belle is a good girl, he must have hoodwinked her somehow.”

“Dad, that’s enough!” Belle cried. “Mr. Gold isn’t blackmailing me, I don’t owe him money, he hasn’t tricked me into anything. I love him. As the sheriff said, I’m an adult and I can make decisions for myself, especially about who I choose to spend my time with. You might not always agree with them, but that doesn’t change the fact that no one decides my fate but me. I’m sorry you feel the way you do, but you don’t really have a say in this relationship.”

She finished, her chest heaving. Sheriff Swan looked mildly impressed, Lacey was beaming at her, but her father looked disgusted.

“You’re no daughter of mine,” he muttered. “Sheriff Swan, if you don’t mind, I think I need a ride to the hospital. This animal broke my arm.”

“After you broke into his house and threw him against a wall,” Lacey said. “I’m sorry Dad, but you have no one to blame for that but yourself.”

Moe sputtered, looking back and forth between his daughters with sad eyes. Then without another word, he walked out the front door toward the sheriff’s cruiser.

“Did he really break in?” Emma asked the room at large.

“Yes,” all three answered in sync.

“I wouldn’t have thought he had it in him,” she replied with a shrug. “Do you want to press charges?”

Gold just shook his head. “He was overwrought. If I were in his position I’d probably have done the same.”

Emma nodded, stuffing her hands into her jeans pockets. “Well I guess I’ll get him to the hospital then. Just try to keep it down. No more disturbances. I definitely don’t want to get involved with whatever the hell is going on here. I do expect you all to come by the station and give a statement tomorrow, though.”

With one final piercing look at Gold, she followed Moe out to the cruiser.

“I’ll go with them,” Lacey said, glancing over her shoulder. “He’ll calm down, Belle. Trust me, he’s been spitting mad at me before and it never lasts for long.”

Belle just nodded stiffly as her sister departed with one final wave, pulling the splintered door shut behind her.

Belle let out a shuddering breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

“Well, now everyone knows,” she said, walking over to Gold and leaning her head against his chest. “For better or worse.”

“I’m sorry, Belle,” he whispered, gripping her by her shoulders and pushing her away from his body.

“For what?” she asked. “None of this was your fault.”

“Maybe it was a mistake taking our relationship public. Maybe it should have stayed in the shadows.”

“We didn’t make it public,” she pointed out. “Keith did. If I’d had a chance to sit down and talk to my father without all this racket…”

“You think it would be any different?” Gold asked, spreading his hands wide. “Your father hates me, Belle, and rightly so. I’ve not made life easy for him nor anyone else in this town.”

“You’re a businessman,” she said with a shrug.

“I’m a bastard,” he laughed mirthlessly. “All I’ve cared about is money and winning and power. Until you. Maybe it’s time I do the unselfish thing for once in my life.”

“What are you saying?” she asked, suddenly fearful.

“I have to let you go.”

“Absolutely not!” Belle cried, grabbing him by the arm. “You love me, you said so yourself!”

“I do love you, sweetheart,” he said, cupping her cheek. “If I loved you less, I would hold on to you. But I can’t do that.”

“But I love you,” she said frantically, amazed at how many emotions a human being could feel in one night; from anger, to buoyant happiness, to fear, to dread. “What else matters but that?”

“You saw the way your father reacted,” he said, his hands trailing down her arms and lingering at her hands. “The way the sheriff looked at us, and she’s one of the more open minded in town. How do you think the rest of the world will view our relationship?”

“I don’t care,” Belle gasped out, tears stinging her eyes. She couldn’t believe this relationship could go from I love you’s to ending in the span of a few hours. She wouldn’t let it happen. “I don’t care what anyone thinks. I just want you.”

“You don’t care now, but you will. Trust me, sweetheart.”

“No!” she exclaimed, stepping away from him. “You don’t get to decide for me. There are two of us in this relationship, and I’m saying no.”

“Belle –”

She silenced his words with a kiss, pressing her lips against his almost painfully. Her hands found their way into his hair, holding him close as she poured all her desperation, all her fears into a single kiss.

He resisted for a moment, but soon his hands found her waist, pulling her against him and opening his mouth to hers.

The kiss was searing, fueled by desperation and anger and sadness. And there was something niggling at the back of her mind, telling her this would be the last kiss if she didn’t fight it.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, unwilling to let him go even to catch her breath. Finally, when she started to grow lightheaded, she pulled away, as he pressed his forehead to hers.

“I can’t let you go,” she murmured sadly. “If you really love me, you’ll realize that.”

“But your father –”

“He’s an idiot,” she cut across him. “And he’ll get used to it once he has a chance to calm down.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Gold asked, pulling back to look her in the eye. “What if he makes you choose?”

“I already made my choice,” she replied, with a sad smile. “I made my choice the moment I stole Lacey’s shorts and my father’s whiskey. The night I decided to see just how far I could push a school girl crush.”

“I quite liked those shorts,” Gold murmured.

“I’ll see if I can borrow them again,” she said, kissing him again, less desperate this time but no less passionate.

“Belle, are you absolutely certain?” he asked, breaking away from her lips.

She shrugged. “Who can be certain of anything? But I know I want this, I want you.”

“So we’re really doing this?” he mused. “Fuck long distance, fuck the town, fuck your family?”

“I love you, and you love me,” she grinned. “Everything else will sort itself out.”

He kissed her one more time, maneuvering her back toward the sofa, letting the blanket drop from around her body as he did so.

“I hope your optimism rubs off on me,” he said as he pushed her down on to the sofa, blanketing her with his body.

She reached a hand down, cupping him through the fabric of his pants.

“I can rub off on you,” she smirked. “Can’t promise optimism though.”

He growled, trailing kisses down her neck as he made his way to her chest. He planted a kiss against her right nipple, sucking the little bud into his mouth, before he let her go with a pop.

“Hold on a moment, you flashed Keith.”

Belle blushed, feeling the heat spread from her cheeks down across her chest.

“It was a spur of the moment decision,” she said with a shrug.

“Don’t do that again,” he said with a shake of his head.

"I think I can safely promise that," Belle said with a giggle. 

"I'm evicting him," Gold said resolutely.

"John!" she squeaked, slapping him lightly against his shoulder.

"What?" he said, affronted. "This town should know that no one gets to look at my girlfriend's perfect breasts without consequences."

Belle's heart gave a little flutter. "You called me your girlfriend."

A slow smile spread across Gold's face. "That's what you are."

Belle couldn't help her smile as she pulled him down for another kiss, attacking the button on his trousers and pushing them down off his hips.

"Well right now, I want my boyfriend to make love to me."

He didn't need to be told twice, entering her with one swift movement. Belle cried out, arching her back off the sofa as he moved above her, maintaining eye contact the whole time. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek and he turned his face into the caress.

"I love you," she whispered, as he rolled his hips against hers hitting a place deep inside her that made her see stars.

And wasn't that the most important thing? They were in love. The rest of it was just details.


End file.
